Cebuanos honor Mary
Find refuge in Mary.” This was the message of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma to thousands of Catholics who trooped to barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City last Dec. 12, 2014 to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Cebu.
Palma called on the people to never lose contact with Mary who continues to intercede before God for all mankind.
“Mary is not only the mother of Jesus. She is our mother too. Mary is given to us by God. She continues to be a merciful mother to all those who cry to her, to those who love and have confidence in her,” the 63-year-old prelate said.
Palma quoted the words of Mary to Blessed Juan Diego to whom she appeared during the miracle in Guadalupe, Mexico in 1531: “Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness, or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?”
Before the end of the Mass, Palma placed incense on the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu as the people sang Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen).
The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe started in Mexico.
In 2002 then Archbishop of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal declared her the the principal patroness of Cebu.
As expected during its annual fiesta, a religious procession resulted in traffic congestion in barangay Guadalupe as portions of V. Rama Avenue near the church were closed to traffic to accommodate the influx of pedestrians, said City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) operations head Joy Tumulak.
Jeepneys were allowed only up to the vicinity of Guadalupe barangay hall and were asked to pass by Andres Abellana Street on their way back to downtown Cebu City.
Only private vehicles and taxis were allowed to go to the vicinity of the church grounds.
“We asked people to walk instead of allowing entry of more vehicles into the church area. We need to clear the area in case of emergency to allow entry of emergency vehicles,” he said.
The area was manned by 20 traffic personnel plus barangay tanods especially during the 6 p.m. procession.
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